


I Think I'm In Love

by Saraphinethemysterious



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-02-26 15:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2656886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saraphinethemysterious/pseuds/Saraphinethemysterious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Only days before the Quarter Quell, Katniss is woken up by a nightmare. After being comforted by Peeta she comes to a strong realization.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Think I'm In Love

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer- I don't own The Hunger Games or any of its characters.

I woke up and Peeta wasn’t next to me. And if I wasn’t scared enough before, I was then.

My eyes cleared from the tears of my recent nightmare and _confirmed_ that Peeta wasn’t next to me. Before I could see clearly I was only going off the loss of warmth from next to me. I remembered falling asleep with Peeta earlier that night, so he was supposed to be here.

Frantic and not yet over my nightmare, I called out for him quietly. “Peeta?” I knew Haymitch and Effie were around so I kept my voice down to just a whisper. When I didn’t hear or see Peeta from anywhere in the room, I wrapped a blanket from the bed around me and went to look for him.

The halls were quiet and I was still shaken up from my nightmare. I walked into the open living area of the floor (which was of course as colorful as The Capital could make it with their ways) and saw a familiar figure in the dark.

“Peeta?” My whisper echoed in the quiet room.

He turned around at the sound of my voice. I could see his blue eyes even in the dark. “Katniss?”

We were casual in what we wore at night. I usually had on as tank top and pair of sweatpants when I crawled under the covers. And Peeta was wearing his normal bed attire, a pair of black boxers and a plain white shirt. 

I walked toward him with my head bowed towards the ground and his arms opened for me. When I fell into his chest and his arms wrapped around me, I couldn’t cry. No tears were able to come to my eyes, so we just stood there for a minute; him holding me, and me absorbing the warmth of him comforting me. I felt like crying, but I just couldn’t.

After Peeta thought that I’d calmed down he pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. His hands held my upper arms so that if I started crying he could pull me back to him. 

I looked at the ground and tried to avoid his gaze but Peeta moved one hand up under my chin and lifted my face. I gave up trying to resist and reluctantly stared into his eyes. They were concerned like they usually were when I was like this. 

“You had a nightmare.”

It was only half a question because he knew the answer. Still, I nodded. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

I met his eyes again. The feeling of wanting to cry disappeared for a moment as I was determined to say something in response. “Don’t be sorry. You shouldn’t have to be responsible for me when I have a nightmare. It’s not your job to comfort me. You shouldn’t have to be there for me all the time… I’m just a mess.” I said the last part more to me than Peeta, but in a way all of it was to me. Peeta took care of me, and how did I return the favor? What did I have to offer? What was I? Just a lost, hardened, broken girl. 

It was quiet and I regretted what I said almost immediately after I said it. I felt awful about what’d just come out of my mouth until Peeta spoke, “I _want_ to be. I love you and I know you already know that, but I do. I love you Katniss. And you understand me more than anyone else does. I want to be there for you. No matter what.”

Then the tears came. Slowly. They came to my eyes and slid down my face silently in the dark room. I wasn’t sure how Peeta knew I was crying but his hand came up to wipe them from my cheek. His other arm pulled me toward him and I fell back into him, tears streaming quicker down my face. 

“You were dead,” I sobbed into his chest but still managed to get the details of the dream out. “We were in the games and the tracker jackers…they… You were dead…and I woke up and you weren’t there. And I…” Another series of sobs cut me off.

Peeta’s hand was stroking over my back, while the other was buried in my hair holding me close to him. He whispered something about him having left to get some water. My hands moved from my sides to go around his waist, fearing that if I let go I’d lose him. And I didn’t want to lose him.

“It’s okay. I’m right here.” He whispered down into my ear, which only made me cry harder. I thought about the games. The Quarter Quell was only a few days away. I realized that could lose Peeta. I realized didn’t want to lose him. I couldn’t lose him. I didn’t know what there was for me without him. 

He was my _everything._

I know what I promised myself and what I made Haymitch promise me. I’d go before him. I’d _die_ before him. That would be the way it went. I would make sure of it. 

Somewhere through the tears and thoughts of the games Peeta had led us over to the sofa so that we wouldn’t have to keep standing. I had a feeling that he thought my legs might go out and wanted to avoid the possibility of me collapsing on the ground.

We lie there; me on top of him. Our legs twined together at one end of the sofa while his head rest on the arm of the other end. My head buried into his chest, soaking his shirt with tears until I stopped crying. 

For some time we just stayed there, breathing in the peace that we had for so long taken for granted. Peace that we wouldn’t get to have for that much longer.

When my mind started to work normally again I realized that my tank top had ridden up when we moved to the sofa. I also noticed that Peeta’s shirt had done the same. A good amount of our bare stomachs were pressed together, skin against skin. 

I felt more warmth radiating off him than usual this way. My hands rested on his chest and I felt his heart beat beneath my fingertips. They wavered there moving slowly and tracing patterns for a minute until I felt his heart speed up a bit.

I lifted myself up just enough to look him in the eyes. Peeta gave a small smile, but I was too busy studying him to return it. I took in his features because if my plan went right, my time with the boy with the bread was limited. I took in the way his jaw curved, the shade of his cheeks, (that reddened the more I stared at him) and the way his brow furrowed as he studied my back.

Then I leaned down and kissed him. 

Not because we were engaged. Not because we were star-crossed lovers. Not because we had to convince anyone. Not because we were in the games and it was a way to get sponsors. I kissed him because I wanted to. In that moment I really wanted to kiss him. 

And I shouldn’t have to have a reason for that. I should be able to be a normal teenage girl and kiss a cute boy whenever I want to kiss a cute boy. 

When our lips connected it felt like electricity. The simple touch felt like nothing I’d ever felt before. None of our other kisses had ever been like this. They’d never been so…passionate, yet still so simple.

Peeta returned the kiss moving his lips closer to mine. Our eyes draped closed and our mouths danced together in unison. My hands found their way to his hair as his tightened around me. My mind went blank, only to focus momentarily when his arm slid down to where my shirt had ridden up and touched the skin there. 

My hands ran through his blond locks and after a while of our kiss being a fight for dominance, I let him win and he took over. His lips led mine in a waltz, and I didn’t even consider the possibility of someone walking in on us in the heat of the moment. I felt every touch of Peeta’s hand as it skimmed my body. And each time he ran his fingers past my bare skin, my fingers pulled more at his hair.

After minutes we pulled back, breathing heavily, staring at each other. I wondered then why I kissed Peeta. 

It was because I felt something. I felt something for this boy who’d saved my life in the arena. He cared about me. He was there whenever I had a nightmare. He comforted me the way no one else could. He understood me because we’d been through the same thing. He loved me. 

And I loved him. 

More than that. I… I was pretty sure that I.

I was in love with him. 

**Author's Note:**

> A/N- Thanks for reading. -Saraphine


End file.
